4 Responses

I listened to a part of both this track and Awe Tistic on YouTube, and I cannot express how shocked and dismayed I am. I guess Autism Speaks is happy though, since you helped them in their mission of spreading misinformation, fear, and hatred with your inaccurate and exclusionary language. This Autie no longer supports you. Goodbye.

Dan,
I’ve been a fan of your music for nearly 2 years. Your gaming raps are my favorite, but I like most of your other raps too. A few months ago I listened to A Portrait of the Autist, but I wasn’t quite sure what to think of it. My feelings on this song were somewhat mixed. On one hand I liked it because I can relate to it, but on the other hand I kinda hated it (no offense) because the realization that I may have some form of autism was (and still is) a bit depressing. I’ve always been a little different, awkward, “the weird girl that never talks”, and I’ve never really had many friends. About 10 years ago I was diagnosed with Selective Mutism, but after hearing this song I began to question that diagnosis. “Why does a song about autism describe me so perfectly? Have I been misdiagnosed?” I’ve spent the past few months researching Selective Mutism, Asperger’s Syndrome and other similar conditions. The Selective Mutism diagnosis seems to be correct but doesn’t explain everything. The only other thing that seems to fit is Asperger’s. It explains everything that SM does not, and from what I’ve read it’s not uncommon for someone with SM to also have Asperger’s. However, I’ve also read that it is very difficult to diagnose, especially in adults, so even though it seems likely, I can’t say for certain whether or not I have it. I don’t know, maybe I’m just naturally weird? Maybe when my financial situation is little better, I’ll be able to get a professionals opinion and have that question answered.
Right, I think I’ve rambled on long enough so here it is, the sole purpose of this unnecessarily long message: Despite the fact that this song made me cry, I want to thank you. I’ve never really been content with my diagnosis and you’ve given me something to look into. Asperger’s is not what I thought it was and without this song I would have remained misinformed about it and never would have considered it as a possible diagnosis for myself. I will be looking into that further as soon as I am able to do so.
I also want to congratulate you on your success. You seem like a good person and your raps are awesome, they help cheer me up when I’m feeling down. 🙂 You are a very talented person and I hope that you continue to make EPIC music for many years to come.
And I wish you luck with your hearing problem, I hope you get better soon.

Being an autistic myself, I found it difficult to tell people and help them to understand who I am. And I found it difficult to make and maintain friendships. But after I found your ‘a portrait of the Autist’, I have found it easier to make friends and get along with someone who is… special to me. Thanks for helping me in my friendship and the relationship which I am longing to go further with. ‘I want to thank for being here (for me), I mean that, truly’. (quote from Dan Bull’s ‘Proud’)